Bath apparatus.



W. L. DODGE.

BATH APPARATUS. APPLIGATIONNLBD JAN.30,1911.

1,060,236, Patented Apr. 29, 1913.

WALTER LUTHER DODGE, OF CHICAGO, ILLINOIS.

:BATH APPARATUS.

Specification of Letters Patent.

APatented Apr. 29, 1913.

application filed January 3o, 1911. serial No. 605,346.

To all 'whom t may concern:

Be it known that I, VALTER, LUTHER DODGE, a citizen of the United States, and a resident of Chicago, in the county of Cook and State of Illinois, have Ainvented certain new and useful Improvements in Bath Apparatus, of which the following is a specication.

This invention relates to bath apparatus and relates particularly to bath tubs especially designed and particularly adapted for use in soaking the feet in vtreating same with medicinal solutions for relieving or curing soreness and other ailments thereof.

Heretofore, so far as I am aware, the bottoms of bath tubs for this purpose have been flat, so that, when the feetrest on the bottom of the tub, the solution would be prevented from flowing under the feet and thus, where the ailment is on the bottoms of the feet, preventing access of the solution to the parts affected.

The primary object of the present invention is to provide a bath tub adapted for use in soaking the feet, so constructed and arranged that the water or solution will have free access to all parts of the feet- A further object of the invention is to provide a bath tub for the purpose specified, constructed and arranged for soaking the feet with the use of a minimum quantity of solution.

To effect the `foregoing objects, a bath tub embodying my invention comprises the various features and details of construction hereinafter described and claimed.

In the accompanying drawing, in which my invention is fully illustrated, Figure 1 is a top plan view of my improved tub; Fig. 2 a vertical longitudinal sectional view thereof on the line 1 -4 of Fig. l; and Fig. 3 is a fragmentary sectional view on the line 5-5 of Fig. 1.

Referring now to the drawing, my improved bath tub, designated as a whole by the reference letter A, comprises a bottom l, and side walls 2, the sides 2 of said bath tub being preferably slightly flared, to provide for nesting said tubs in shipping, and the upper edges thereof being preferably rounded.

The bottom l of my improved bath tub is preferably substantially flat, as shown in F ig. l, but, to eect the object of my invention as it relates to the use of a minimum quantity of liquid, I prefer to form depressions 3 therein which conform substantially to the shape of the feet and are made sufficiently large to receive practically all sizes of feet, all as shown in Fig. 1 of the drawing. The depressions 3 may be of any desired depth` but in practice I prefer to make them from about three-quarters of an inch to one inch deep.

To effect the object of my invention as it relates to providing a bath tub constructed and arranged to permit access of the liquid to all parts of the feet, the bottom of each foot-depression is provided with a skeleton support adapted to raise the foot above the bott-om of the depression and to thus permit the liquid to [low freely under the bottom of the foot. As shown, said skeleton support is formed by spaced ribs or corrugations, preferably comprising such ribs or corrugations beneath both the heels and balls of the feet.

The ribs or corrugations, designated 4:1, are formed at 'the bottoms of the depressions 3 only, said ribs or corrugations for the heels preferably extending straight across said depressions, while the'ribs or` corrugations formin Vthe supports for the -balls of the feet pre erably extending at an angle to each other, converging forward toward the longitudinal center of the tub. The ribs or corrugations 41 are made of less height than the depths of the depressions 3, a desirable proportion being about oneeighth to one-quarter of an inch for the height of said ribs or corrugations, as compared with a depth of from three-quarters to one inch for the depressions 3.

While I consider the form of skeleton support herein shown and described as preferable, other forms of supports for effecting the same object will readily suggest themselves to others, and my invention therefore contemplates the use of any form of skeleton support adapted to effect the objects of the invention. corrugations l1 may conveniently and will preferably be formed by pressing or stamping.

I claim A foot tub adapted for use in soaking the feet, the bottom of which comprises relatively small separated depressed sections adapted to receive the feet flat-wise whereby the feet may be soaked with a minimum quantity of liquid, said depressed sections The depressions 3 and ribs or having flat under surfaces adapted to supas my invention, I affix my signature' in port. the tub on the Hoor, each of said seepresence of two subscribing Witnesses, this tions having foot-supporting transverse ribs 17th day of January, A. D. 1911.

or eorrugntlons formed integrally by bend- WALTER LUTHER DODGE. 5 ing up the flutbottom of the depressed sec- VVit-nesses: y

tion. MOYE W. STEPHENS,

In testimony, that I claim the foregoing C. LEPPELMAN. 

